


Necking

by PepperF



Series: Valentines [12]
Category: Stargate SG-1
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2009-06-05
Updated: 2009-06-05
Packaged: 2017-12-09 20:45:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,623
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/777811
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PepperF/pseuds/PepperF
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>He'd nearly kissed her neck.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Necking

**Author's Note:**

> With thanks to holdouttrout, who gave me a deadline.

He'd nearly kissed her neck.

He walked fast, footsteps competing with the drumming in his ears, going away, going anywhere. Anywhere he'd be distracted from thinking about nearly kissing her neck.

He'd always had a thing for women who gave him a tough time. Sara had been like that, when they were dating — never giving him an inch he hadn't worked for. Sam had looked so pleased with herself at having got one over on him, and he'd found himself irresistibly drawn closer, just... wanting to be nearer. Near her. Purely as an excuse, he'd started reading her report over her shoulder, and seen the random contents of her brain — and he really wasn't going to think about _that_ — and she'd gotten so flustered, and her ears had gone pink, and... and he'd nearly kissed her neck. 

He tried to feel the proper sense of guilt that a superior officer ought to feel when he found himself looking at a subordinate with a far from professional eye. Tried to find it in himself to feel bad about the moment he'd hovered on the brink of crossing a serious line, and - just for a moment - hadn't been able to remember why he shouldn't. Tried to drum up some scruples about the look in her eyes that said she was tempted, too... But it just didn't work. He couldn't concentrate on feeling bad when all he could think about was _kissing her neck._

He sped up. Maybe he'd go to the gym. Do some running. It wasn't like he had anything else to do. Well, there was his report on 756, of course, and the monthly system reviews that he needed to sign off, and he needed to get started on his three-sixty review for Hammond... Gym it was. Maybe if he ran far and fast enough he could stop thinking about kissing her neck. 

It would be an added bonus if he could stop thinking about nibbling her ears.

\---

"O'Neill."

He was racking up the miles, the weary ache in his legs helping to keep his mind clear and calm, when Teal'c and Daniel found him. He glanced up, saw them waiting for him, slowed, and stopped. He glanced at the counter as he stepped off. Just over four klicks. That was what it took to stop thinking about kissing her neck.

...Ah, crap.

"Boys," he puffed, grabbing his towel, and dropping onto the seat of the press-bench. It wasn't getting any easier, he acknowledged. Not that he'd admit that out loud. "Somethin' I can do for ya?" Daniel had his arms crossed, and Jack sincerely hoped he wasn't about to receive a lecture. He wasn't in the mood right now. 

Not that he was ever in the mood for being lectured by Daniel, but that was totally beside the point.

Teal'c and Daniel exchanged a look, and Teal'c nodded, indicating that Daniel should speak. Jack looked expectantly at Daniel, who cleared his throat. "Right. Yes, well..." He uncrossed his arms, rubbed thoughtfully at his eye, pushed up his glasses, recrossed his arms, shifted his stance, opened his mouth, closed it again, brushed at his sleeve—

"Teal'c," said Jack, turning to look at Teal'c. 

"We are here to ask what your intentions are towards Captain Carter," said Teal'c.

Daniel yelped. "Teal'c! You're doing it all wrong!" Teal'c gave him a disparaging look, but otherwise ignored him. 

Jack threw the towel over his head and started rubbing vigorously at his hair. Okay, it was a little desperate to be hiding under a towel, but needs must when the Devil booted you in the ass. "What?" he asked, playing for time. From under the towel, he took a quick survey of the room. By accident or design – and he was going to give them the benefit of the doubt and say design – it was otherwise empty.

"Oh, come on, Jack," said Daniel, shaking his head. "We want to know if you're just messing around with Sam, or if you're really – if you really mean it."

"I have _no_ idea what you're talking about," Jack snapped, draping the towel around his neck and standing up to stalk menacingly toward them both. Daniel flinched, but Teal'c was unmoved, staring him down. "Listen, can we not have this conversation? I happen to like my career the way it is, and I'm pretty sure Sam does, too."

"We're not gossiping," frowned Daniel. "This involves Teal'c and I too, you know. Anyhow, Sam hasn't got a big brother to stick up for her – well, she does, but he's in San Diego and they don't really talk... but that's beside the point. And okay, she probably doesn't want us to play big brother, but..." 

It was very annoying, but – God help him – also kind of endearing, this unexpected little overprotective streak. Not that Sam needed protecting from him. Jack suppressed all thoughts he might or might not have had about getting her alone at his place, wowing her with his special spaghetti sauce recipe, taking her out to stargaze, and maybe, when she was relaxed from good food and red wine and lame jokes, then maybe, just possibly, kissing her neck (dammit). "Hey, how come you're not giving Sam the third degree?"

Daniel smirked. "Sam actually _likes_ to talk about this stuff," he said, smugly. "She said she – oops." He looked between Jack and Teal'c in dismay. "She told me not to tell anyone." 

Teal'c raised his eyes, clearly not holding out much hope for Daniel's career as a spy. Jack grabbed Daniel's collar quickly, before he could back away. "She said she what?"

"Ow," said Daniel, pointedly. Jack twisted a little harder.

"I suggest you desist, O'Neill," said Teal'c, in a 'don't make me kick your ass' tone. Jack glanced at him, and then quickly let go.

"Sorry," he muttered, turning away and running a hand over his face. Damn. Way to overreact, O'Neill, he berated himself. But although he knew she was attracted to him because she'd pretty much told him so, that one time, he still didn't know where she thought this whole stupid thing between them might be going. Hell, the only indication that she thought about it much at all had been Daniel's inadvertent slip just now. "I swear, you guys probably have more idea than I do." Neither man replied, and he paced away from them, going over to lean his hands on the treadmill. "You know we can't – you know," he said, awkwardly, into the silence. "Not while she's under my command. But I'm not messing around, I swear. I'm just... I don't know. I hadn't really..." He ran his knuckles over the cold metal frame and fell silent, wishing they'd go away.

"Sam said she didn't know what you were thinking," Daniel told him, kindly. Jack grinned wryly. "I guess I can understand why that would be. Don't you two ever talk?"

Jack shrugged. "Kinda. Once." He didn't have to look to know what their expressions would say. "Look, it's not that simple."

"Wouldn't it be better for all of us if you two sat down and tried to work out what exactly you – ow!" When Jack looked around, Daniel was rubbing the back of his head and looking aggrievedly at Teal'c. "What was that for?!"

Teal'c gave an exasperated little sigh. "Because it appears to have escaped your attention, Daniel Jackson, that neither Colonel O'Neill nor Captain Carter has a gift for the verbal expression of emotion."

Daniel paused with his hand still on his head. "Well, yes, they're both crap at talking about their feelings," he conceded. "Jack's much worse than Sam, though."

"Indeed."

"Hey!" Daniel and Teal'c looked at him. Jack hesitated. "Okay, yes. But I'm right _here_."

"Moreover, they would both no doubt take the poorly-expressed sentiments of the other, and infer the worst," added Teal'c, ignoring Jack. "If they were to closely examine their relationship at this stage, what might be the result?"

Daniel looked thoughtful. "Well, I thought they might get some clarity on... Okay, that might not work out so well – but they could make some decisions on what they plan to... Maybe not. But they could at least acknowledge that they feel... Hm." He frowned. "I think I see your point."

"Still right here," grumbled Jack.

"You ought to like Teal'c's theory," Daniel told him. "After all, he's basically saying it's a bad idea for the two of you to talk about this, because if you do, there's a good chance you'll either muck it up or want to do something about it. And either way, SG-1 would be finished and your careers would probably be over. So, you know, just," Daniel waved his hand encouragingly, "muddle through like before. And for goodness' sake, _don't_ talk about it."

"What I'd like," said Jack, acidly, "would be for my private life to remain private." 

Daniel lifted his eyebrows. "I believe that's what I just said." Jack flung his sweaty towel at Daniel, who stepped neatly sideways to avoid it, and looked at Teal'c. "There's gratitude. We give him all this good advice—" Jack took a menacing step toward him. "Discretion is the better part of valor," he said, and beat a hasty retreat.

Jack turned his glare on Teal'c, who lifted an eyebrow, and then turned on his heel. "Humans," he muttered, as he left. 

Jack strolled after them and picked up his towel, staring at it as he ran it through his hands. Slowly, an unwilling smile broke out on his face. Don't talk about it, huh? Who'da thunk?

Whistling to himself, and pondering whether 'muddling through' could include some decidedly non-verbal activities involving his lips and Sam's neck, Jack went off to take a shower.


End file.
